


boo! (i fell for you!)

by jen0ffee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Ghost Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, M/M, side markren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26358310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jen0ffee/pseuds/jen0ffee
Summary: When Jeno Lee rented an apartment, he didn't know a teen ghost haunting his house was included in the contract.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66
Collections: NOHYUCK FEST: 정답!





	boo! (i fell for you!)

**Author's Note:**

> for prompt #JD014 !!  
> this is unbeta-ed bcs i couldn't do it in time hhsdh but i'll fix any mistakes as best as i can!!

Jeno thinks he’s a fairly simple guy. He eats when he's hungry, he sleeps when he's tired. He doesn't have a preference for his pizza toppings. He doesn’t dwell on a decision for long, because it’s a waste of time to ponder between countless possibilities. He also never questions when a person tells him to do something. So, when his mother told him to find his own apartment to stay at halfway into his first year of college, Jeno simply nodded and got to work.

To say this was expected was true, but Jeno honestly thought he would have a few more comfortably easy years of living in his parents’ house before his mother decides it is time for him to take care of himself. This happened to his elder sister too, who had to find her own house the moment she graduated. His mother believed her children should be able to live on their own, without depending on others.

This was questioned by Jeno’s high school senior slash local gym buddy slash self-claimed best friend, Mark Lee.

“Isn’t she just kicking you out?” Mark asks as they head to the water cooler to refill their bottles.

“Not really. I still get my allowance. She’s also paying the rent until I find a part-time job,” Jeno shrugs.

“I guess it’s a pretty good deal. You get your own place closer to campus. Maybe I can crash sometimes too,” Mark suggests, and Jeno agrees. “I can help you find a place if you’re free after this.”

After a freezing cold shower and a change of clothes, Mark brought Jeno to a café because the place has a better Wi-Fi connection than the library. “The coffee is mediocre though,” Mark reminds, taking a sip of his own cup of latte and grimacing. They spend a good hour scrolling through search results of ‘best cheap apartment near me’ on Google and calling random agents before Mark’s face lights up.

“That’s pretty cheap,” Jeno says, scrolling through the details of the apartment Mark found. It was a small studio apartment, fitting for a college student to stay at with a reasonable price.

Mark shoots him a worried glance, one that clearly shows he was doubting the credibility of this sketchy, cheap place. Jeno scans through the lists of information again, not finding any reason he should let this chance go by. Jeno assures Mark that he will check the house out later, to make sure the agent wasn’t fucking around with him.

A full month later, Jeno is loading his father’s car with his bags and boxes of belongings. He doesn’t have that much stuff, telling his mother that he’s only 40 minutes away, he could visit home every weekend if he wanted to. The only difference is he doesn’t have to wake up at ass o’clock to catch the train for his morning classes now that his place is only 2 bus stops away from the campus.

He ended up renting that cheap apartment, even when Mark said the picture Jeno sent him of the apartment was spooky to him. It was a good deal, and he doesn’t have to bother having a hard time finding a part-time job that pays high enough for him to pay the rent in the future.

Upon reaching the apartment complex, he spends a solid hour to unload his stuff, mainly because the elevators were being fixed, and his mother was not going to climb up to the fourth floor in her high heels. His father, who recently hurt his knee while playing football with his friends, was of no help either. He piled his stuff in front of the door, refusing to take his shoes off multiple times to move them inside.

“Be good, Jeno. Tell us if anything is wrong, we’re just a call away,” his father reminds him before heading back home, only after his mother smacks a kiss on his cheek, her red lipstick leaving a mark on his face. Jeno sighs when they leave because he has to climb the stairs for the nth time today, and he still has to bring those bags and boxes inside.

When he got to his apartment, his neighbour was coming out of his own house, dressed up in a pair of pyjamas, despite it being almost 2 in the afternoon. Jeno doesn’t question it, only muttering out a simple ‘hello’ to the boy who looked like he hasn’t slept in days. The boy introduces himself as Jaemin, blond hair falling in his eyes as he clutches a jacket in his hand.

“Careful of the house,” Jaemin had said, scratching his head as he made his way to the stairs, at the end of the hallway, “the past tenants all moved out because of some unidentified disturbances.”

Maybe Jeno regrets taking up this offer. The words of his new neighbour replay in his head as he punches in the password he set up with the landlord before this. He knew six zeros are not the safest password, so he’ll have to put a reminder on his phone to reset the password.

When he nudges the door open, what he didn’t expect to hear was singing coming from the direction of his bathroom. It was soft, with the sound of the water running. Did the landlord come before him? If he did, why in the world would he take a shower in Jeno’s apartment? Jeno takes off his shoes and places the boxes aside before closing the door. He doesn’t think twice, heading for the toilet and twisting the doorknob (which was weirdly not locked), swinging the door open.

Jeno was met with a person, singing at the top of his lungs without a care in the world. Wait, why is he glowing blue? And why can Jeno see through him?

“And don’t you ever for a second get to thinking—" the being(?) turns to Jeno, and they make eye contact. The being’s eyes widen, before he dissolves into the air, leaving Jeno dumbfounded. He stands there, eyes wide himself as the water falls from the showerhead and a million questions run through his own head.

What was that? A ghost? A celestial being? Jeno never believed in ghosts, they were too complicated to comprehend. But what else can it be? It was nothing like those grotesque descriptions of ghosts that eat human organs and haunt people, the ones depicted in horror movies and paranormal documentaries. This ghost (if it really is a ghost), was belting Irreplaceable while taking a shower in Jeno’s bathroom (which Jeno thought was absurd. Why would a ghost need to take a shower?).

Jeno decides it is not worth his time and effort to think about the being right now, with it disappearing. He would rather focus on unpacking his stuff, bringing in the abandoned boxes outside his apartment that Jeno prays hasn’t been taken by anyone.

The next time Jeno sees the ghost was when he was coming out of the shower, only a towel tied around his waist. He just came back from his morning run, planning to spend the few free hours he has before his class finishing that k-drama a classmate recommended to him.

The lack of fresh produce in his fridge and pantry is saddening, but Jeno strives on the huge cereal box he brought from home and the giant bottle of milk he bought at the convenient store. He pours a bowl and sits at his study table, a stool for the counter top still absent. He knew he had to find one sooner or later, but procrastination gets the best of him.

Call him rude, but he’s not one to sit properly when no one’s watching. He eats with his legs spread, practically naked except the towel around his waist, laughing at a certain line in the drama. Halfway through his bowl, he heard a sharp noise of disgust coming from behind him.

“What the hell?” A voice practically yells out, and Jeno is met with the glowing being when he turns in his chair. He immediately closes his legs and attempts to cover himself, balancing his bowl in one hand. “Put on some clothes, geez.”

“Who- What are you?”

“Don’t have to be so rude, I’m not some kind of animal,” the ghost glares at Jeno, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Wouldn’t you react the same if a ghost is in your house?” Jeno nags.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen a ghost,” the being walks (floats) to Jeno’s bed, sitting at the edge. 

“Look in the mirror, dude. You’re a ghost,” Jeno deadpans.

“Oh,” it pauses, like he just came to a realisation. “Right-o,” the glowing being says, before heading towards Jeno’s wardrobe and quite literally walking through it. Jeno stares at the now empty spot, a million questions running through his head. Does this mean his house is haunted? He ignores the question with a frown, pausing his drama to listen to the ghost and search for some boxers.

Jeno doesn’t see the being again for almost a week after that. Not until one morning, where he was woken up at dawn by the sound of a glass breaking. He reaches for his glasses, cursing to himself and turning on the bedside lamp. What were the chances of someone breaking into his house?

Jeno sighs, swinging his legs off of his bed. He swears he saw a silhouette of some sort standing near his counter top, before it disappears. Instead, there was one his mugs, broken into pieces on the floor.

Jeno sighs, swinging his legs off of his bed. It’s Saturday, he should not be up so early after staying up late the night before finishing up unpacking to prepare for the housewarming party that evening. It was Mark’s idea, and he’s the only guest. Jeno was planning on sleeping in until noon before heading to the supermarket to get the food and drinks.

“Thanks, ghost,” Jeno mumbles, more to himself, but he feels shivers down his back and turns to look at nothing. Jeno decided then and there, that maybe he hates this being that’s haunting his house. “You know, if you’re gonna be here all the time, why bother hiding from me?”

Jeno waits for an answer for a minute before sighing, picking up the broken pieces.

“Use the broom, idiot. You’re gonna get hurt,” Jeno hears a voice from on top of him, and he looks up to see the head of the ghost peaking out of his cabinet. He had a bored look on his face, and Jeno just noticed how young he actually looks like.

“Really? Out of all my mugs, you had to drop the cat shaped one?”

“All of your mugs have cats on them,” the ghost rolls his eyes, floating to Jeno’s side. Jeno eyes him up and down, taking in his appearance for the first time. The ghost is white all over, exuding a soft blue glow.

“My sister got me this one,” Jeno pouts, reaching for the mini broom set he got for cheap when he went shopping for his new house with Mark. They even got an extendable mop and a mini electric heating pad for winter. He sweeps the pieces and turns to look at the ghost. “Can you get some papers from my table?”

“Why do you think I can do that? I’m a ghost.”

Jeno shrugs, “you just dropped my mug.”

If the ghost could blush, Jeno was sure he would be red all over with the way he’s looking at Jeno. He mutters a ‘whatever’ before floating to Jeno’s table and picking up a stack of plain A4 papers. Jeno watches as he tosses them onto the counter top before sitting right next to it.

“Thanks, ghost.”

The ghost looks at Jeno with a weird expression, “I have a name, you know.”

“How would I know it if you never told me?” Jeno looks at the ghost on the countertop, tying up the plastic bag and placing it near his door so he doesn’t forget to take it out later. It takes a moment before the ghost realises, mouth forming into an o-shape. “So, ghost, your name?”

“Donghyuck.”

“I’m Jeno.”

“I know.”

Jeno hums. He pulls the curtains of his window slightly, and it was still pretty dark outside. He never runs on Saturdays, it was his rest day. So, he sits back on the edge of his bed, already taking off his glasses and placing them onto the dresser.

“Donghyuck?”

Donghyuck, who has migrated to sitting at the edge of the kitchen counter tilts his head instead of answering Jeno. Jeno shouldn’t have taken his glasses off. Now, Donghyuck is just a blurry figure of whites and soft blue.

“I don’t mind your presence,” Jeno says, taking one of his pillow and hugging it to his chest. “If you wanna hang around, you can.”

Donghyuck’s face lights up, before falling right after. “Are you sure?”

“I think so. Why?”

“You’ve probably heard what the neighbours are saying. I’m a ghost, Jeno. The last tenant moved out after she saw me by accident. It’s been almost a year since anyone but the owner has stepped foot inside this house, even though it’s actually so cheap,” Donghyuck explains, a sad look looming on his face.

“Don’t worry,” Jeno stands up and makes his way to Donghyuck’s side, leaning against the counter himself a good few inches apart to make it less awkward. He wanted to sit like Donghyuck did, but he’s too tall and Donghyuck’s back is literally going through the cabinet. “I’m cool with you.”

Donghyuck faces Jeno with an almost comical smile, akin to a child who got a basket full of candy on Halloween. Being this close, Jeno could see the little details on the ghost’s face—the moles scattered around his cheek and down his neck, reminding him of constellations against the dark night sky. It was fascinating to see moles on a ghost, but Donghyuck’s existence itself is fascinating to Jeno.

“As long as you don’t break my stuff. Please understand, I’m already broke as it is, I can’t afford replacing broken bowls and mugs every week,” Jeno pleads, praying that this is the first time Donghyuck has broken any of his belonging. Who knows, the ghost could be hiding a stash of destroyed valuables in a corner, hidden away from Jeno’s eyes.

“Sorry, that was on accident,” Donghyuck says, avoiding Jeno’s eyes.

“No worries. Now,” Jeno pauses when a yawn that he’s been suppressing rips its way through his throat. “I’m gonna go back to sleep. Try not to wake me up before my alarm does, okay?”

“No promises,” Donghyuck says, before disappearing through the cabinets, heading to God knows where.

Jeno pushes the door of his apartment open, hair disheveled and eyes stinging. He’s tired to the bone, cursing at Mark who dragged him to a house party. He knew it was just the older’s excuse to distract himself from the fact that his boyfriend is ignoring him.

He can’t really tell what entered his system, the list ranging from a weird vodka mix to a glowing shot which looks like someone poured the content of a glow stick into. He tried finding Mark, but the older only waved him off and said, “I’ll be right behind you!”

“You’re home.”

Jeno yells, stumbling backwards as he stares at the ghost floating near his bed. “Oh my God, Donghyuck, you scared me.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m still getting used to it,” Jeno toes his shoes off, opting to just push them to the side because his back is quite literally killing him.

“How was the party?” Donghyuck asks, a cunning smile growing on his face. “You look like shit. And kind of hot. The ripped jeans and leather jacket really work on you.”

“I can’t tell if you’re insulting me or flirting with me, but thanks,” Jeno makes his way to his bed, throwing the jacket to his chair. He plops himself face first, groaning into his pillow. “I was so shit-faced, I almost threw up on the bus.”

“I’m surprised you even made it back home on your own,” Donghyuck sits in Jeno’s chair, spinning it around. 

“You scared me to sobriety. Now I’m just a bit drunk and sad because the guy who kissed me had a girlfriend,” Jeno flips in his bed, looking at Donghyuck. “I swear, I was so close to finding a one night stand.”

“Oh.” 

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?”

“Oh as in oh, you’re gay.”

“Yep,” Jeno says through a yawn. “Why?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m not religious—well, was not either when I was alive. I just thought you were straight this whole time.”

“Nah. I’m into guys,” Jeno sits up, cringing at his shirt that’s sticking to his body. “I’m gonna hit the shower.”

“You really should, you smell like shit,” Donghyuck teases, throwing the towel hanging from the armrest of the chair to Jeno. 

“For a cute ghost, you sure are mean,” Jeno remarks, already pulling his shirt off. He throws it in Donghyuck’s direction, earning a shriek from the ghost.

“I’m not cute!” 

“Sure, you’re not,” Jeno sheds his clothes, stepping into the shower stall. He sighs in content when the water hits the right temperature, scrubbing his body with the loofah. The feeling of dried alcohol does not feel great on his chest. “What are you, 12?”

“17! Well, three years ago. I think,” Donghyuck walks through the door, floating to sit on the sink. Jeno yelps, turning to face the wall to hide himself. “Chill out. I can’t see you, it’s too steamy in there. If you know what I mean.”

“Are you sure you’re not in here just to see my dick? Not gonna lie, I’m proud of it. But you’re still technically a minor,” Jeno snickers, turning off the water. “Close your eyes, I’m done.”

“Cocky bastard,” Donghyuck scoffs, using his hands to cover his eyes. “I’m technically your age.”

“Oh, really? What month were you born in?”

“June.”

“Ha! I win. My birthday’s in April,” Jeno wraps the towel around his waist after drying himself, stepping out of the shower stall. “Scoot over, I need to use the sink.” 

“We’re literally 2 months apart,” Donghyuck floats to sit on the toilet bowl, eyes still covered. 

“2 months too late,” Jeno says while taking his contacts off, face literally an inch away from the mirror. He tried them out because Mark nagged at him for going to club with his ‘stupid nerd glasses’ even though he wears them himself. He wasn’t willing to give up his eyesight just to look better, so he splurged a little and bought himself a pack of contact lenses.

“How can you wear those? They’re scary,” Donghyuck grimaces, eyebrows furrowing even further when Jeno turns to him in the middle of pinching it out. 

“Oh, young one. You’ll understand when you’re older—“ Jeno cuts himself off when he realises what he’s saying. “Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s alright,” Donghyuck says, but the disappointment is evident on his face. “I’m dead. I can’t get older. I’m stuck in this stupid pre-pubescent body and I’ll never find out if I went through a glow up.”

Jeno’s eyes soften, a wave of guilt washing over him. “I’m sorry, Hyuck.”

“Ew, don’t call me that. You sound like my mom,” Donghyuck says, lightening the heavy mood.

“Okay, Hyuckie.”

“That’s worse!” 

“But it’s my turn to watch the tv!” Donghyuck exclaims. Jeno, in fact, does not own a television, so it’s just a set up of Jeno’s laptop on a stack of books at the end of the bed as Jeno and Donghyuck squeeze themselves on the bed, munching away a bowl or two of microwavable popcorn.

(“You can eat?” Jeno had asked one day, staring wide-eyed at the boy who was stealing fries from his bag of McDonald’s. “I thought the food will just, I don’t know, go through you?”

“I can touch stuff if I want to. That’s why I can go through walls and still sit on here,” Donghyuck hums contently around a mouthful of fries he shoved inside his mouth. 

“Does it- does it taste good? Can you taste?”

“I can feel it more than I can taste it,” Donghyuck’s answer earns him a confused noise from the human boy sitting beside him. “Nevermind. You don’t have to understand.”)

“We’ve been watching Frozen and Frozen 2 the last two times, Hyuck. Let me watch my movie,” Jeno begs, a bag of Doritos in his arm. 

“Ugh, fine,” Donghyuck moves closer to the wall, making space for Jeno. “We’re watching Titanic the next time.”

“Yay,” Jeno cheers. He rips open the bag of chips, dropping himself right beside Donghyuck. “Can you put on Spider-Man, please? I’m already here.”

Donghyuck scoffs. “Asshole.”

“Language, kid,” Jeno reminds, prompting an eye roll from the ghost boy. He does float away from Jeno’s side, typing away at Jeno’s laptop. When Donghyuck comes back, Jeno drops his arm open, a silent invitation for him to lay next to Jeno. 

“Woah, you’re being weirdly nice,” Donghyuck says, hesitant to take the place. 

“Just come here already,” Jeno pats the pillow, his other hand reaching for a chip. Donghyck gives him the stink eye, but proceeds to lay his head on Jeno’s arm.

“Tell me if your arm falls asleep.”

“You literally weigh nothing,” Jeno says, scooting himself further up on the bed. Donghyuck doesn’t say anything to do that, opting to just snuggle closer to Jeno in search of comfort.

They spend the time watching the whole movie like that, Donghyuck making comments and complaining about how he wants to ‘protect Andrew Garfield from all evil’, which Jeno said is absurd because he’s literally 20 years older than Donghyuck.

“17 years apart in ghost age!” Donghyuck exclaims, squealing when the man appears on the screen. Jeno rolls his eyes, attempting to shove a Dorito in his mouth, but the chip merely went through him.

“This is why I hate teenagers,” Jeno huffs, stuffing the chip into his mouth instead. 

“Technically, this is how you were 3 years ago—“ Donghyuck was cut off by the sharp ringing of Jeno’s phone, the melodies of Dancing Queen filtering the sound of the movie. 

“Oops, I’ll get that,” Jeno takes his phone charging on the beside drawer, answering the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, Jen. It’s Renjun.”

“Oh, Jun. What’s up?”

“I know it’s late, and you’re probably busy with your wo—“

“Karaoke! Let’s go to the karaoke, Jun!” Jeno hears a familiar voice on the other side of the line.

“Hyung, please shut up. You see, this guy got shit-faced and called me, but I came here with a cab. We’re at the 7-11 near your apartment building and I’ve been trying to get a taxi for 20 minutes and—“

“Injun. Junnie. My love. I’m sorry. I love you. Please don’t leave me.”

Renjun sighs. “I love you too, hyung. I’m not going anywhere, I’m just calling Jeno.”

“Jeno? Oh! Can we have a sleepover, please? Please, Injun, pleeeease.”

“Okay. Well, you heard the man. Can we stay at yours for tonight?”

Jeno turns to his side and sees Donghyuck looking at him with big, curious eyes. He covers the phone and whispers a ‘sorry’ to the boy. “Uh, sure. Yeah.”

“Thanks, Jeno. We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Renjun says, and Jeno hears rustling and Renjun scolding Mark for taking his phone away.

“Jen! Sleepover! Get the soju out, bro!” Mark practically yells into Jeno’s ears through the speaker, and he had to move his phone away when Mark starts hollering. 

“I don’t think so, hyung. Just get here safe, okay?”

“Bummer,” Mark groans, but then Jeno hears a shriek from the older boy. “Okay, Renjun is chasing me, gotta go!” 

After the line cuts off, Jeno turns to Donghyuck. “First of all, I’m sorry. My friends are sleeping here for tonight and they’re literally 5 minutes from here.”

“Aww, damn. No more Andrew Garfield,” Donghyuck pouts, and Jeno can’t believe himself for finding it cute. The ghost boy bats his eyelashes, looking up at Jeno with those adorable puppy eyes that he knows will make Jeno relent. “Can’t I just stay here? I promise I won’t scare them.”

Jeno bites on his bottom lip, seconds away from going with whatever Donghyuck wants to, but his perseverance has him shaking his head. “Sorry, Hyuckie. I have no idea how they would react when they see you.”

Donghyuck’s bottom lip juts out further, and the corner of his lips are pulled down now. “Fine, I’ll go find something else to do.” Donghyuck floats away from the bed, and before Jeno could say anything, he walks through Jeno’s closet and disappear.

Jeno sighs. This was not how he planned the night to go. He had been busy the whole week, his only sleeping time was the naps he took at the library. He felt bad for all the time he ignored Donghyuck’s whining, and tonight was supposed to be his way of making up for lost time. 

He only got to stare at the spot where Donghyuck went through for a few moments before the doorbell of his house is ringing. 

“Jeno, Jeno, let down your cans of Red Bull,” Mark says in a high-pitched voice, knocking incessantly on the door. Jeno hears Renjun shushing him, and he’s grateful because he’s not ready to deal with his angry neighbours.

Jeno goes to unlock the door, almost tripping on a t-shirt that fell on the floor while he brought his laundry basket in. When he opens the door, Mark stumbles inside, Renjun following him. 

“We’re having a sleepover!”

“Sorry for this, Jen,” Renjun says. Jeno gave him and Mark t-shirts to change into, and Mark is in the middle of fighting with the holes of Jeno’s old high school football jersey. Renjun sighs, helping the other put his shirt on. 

“It’s cool. I wasn’t even doing anything.”

“Oh, really? I thought someone was here and you had to kick them out,” Renjun raises his eyebrows, pointing at Jeno’s unmade bed from over the counter top. 

“What? Nah, I was just watching a movie. In my bed. Alone. With a bag of Doritos,” Jeno pulls out the pity face, looking between Mark and Renjun. 

“God, it wasn’t like we were out together. He was out with Yukhei and Kunhang, and you know how much of a mess they become when all three of them are together,” Renjun complains. Mark whines, dropping his head on Renjun’s shoulder and snuggling his face in the younger boy's neck. 

“I’m sorry,” Mark whispers.

Renjun rolls his eyes, but then raises his hand to pats the older’s head. “Apology accepted. Is your head okay? Do you want water?”

“It’s pounding. I feel like I’m gonna die,” Mark says, monotonous.

“That’s literally on you, hyung,” Jeno says, already reaching for his giant water bottle. He pours two glasses for the pair, sliding them across the counter. “Here, drink some water. I’ll take the floor, you can sleep on my bed.”

“But I can—“

“Don’t worry about it. I always wake up on the floor anyway,” Jeno leaves the couple to themselves, strutting over to his closet to take an extra mattress out. He can’t help but watch as they exchange hushed words, Mark leaving soft kisses on Renjun’s neck, making the younger giggle. 

Jeno’s not the type to hate on couples just because he’s single. But he can’t exactly ignore the occasional yearning for affection and love, deep in the pit of his stomach. He feels it the most when Mark and Renjun are looking into each others’ eyes, a thousand meaning hidden behind those silent stares.

He forces himself to look away, focusing on preparing his place to sleep. He took the liberty of leaving both pillows and the bolster on the bed, using the pillow he usually uses at his chair to sleep. His mind wanders to Donghyuck, the sense of guilt coming back to him in full force. If only there was a way for him to ask Donghyuck how he’s doing.

“I’m gonna use the toilet,” Mark announces, finally detaching himself from Renjun’s side. He stumbles a little bit, but he walks to the bathroom while scratching his head. Jeno pulls out his phone, trying to find something to distract himself from his feelings when Renjun calls him.

“Jeno?”

Jeno hums, looking up from his position on the floor. 

“You know you can come to me to talk right? Mark hyung too,” Renjun’s eyes are full of concern, and Jeno feels bad for being the cause of Renjun’s worry. He’s grown fond of the boy over the years of him and Mark dating. After Mark, he’s the one Jeno is willing to drop everything for.

Jeno sits up, flashing Renjun a small smile. “I know, Jun. Thank you.”

“Can I join you down there before Mark hyung suffocates me to sleep?”

“Sure,” Jeno giggles, scooting closer to his bed frame and letting Renjun sit beside him on the mattress. Renjun takes his phone out, showing Jeno the hundreds of texts he got from a drunk Mark at the pub just an hour prior. They continue exchanging the countless embarrassing pictures or texts of Mark to use as blackmail in the future, laughing and mocking the other, until they hear Mark yell from the toilet.

“What the hell?” Jeno hears Mark yell, followed by the clattering of what Jeno assumes are his bottles of toilet cleanes. Renjun jumps up from the floor, immediately making his way to the toilet.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Jeno knocks on the door. When he hears the sound of the door unlocking, he pushes the door open just to reveal a disheveled looking Mark. Thankfully, he already put on his boxers. “What happened?”

“There was- I saw-“ Mark’s head whips from side to side. “I saw a head! It popped out from the wall!”

Ah, shit. _Donghyuck._

“God, hyung, you’re so drunk,” Renjun shakes his head.

“I’m serious!”

Jeno stares at the spot that Mark is pointing at, his lips pursed. Suddenly, a familiar glowing blue tuft of hair pops out from the wall.

“See! Head!” Mark points at Donghyuck, and Renjun turned just in time before Donghyuck’s air disappear. “Is this house haunted? See, I told you this apartment was sketchy!”

“Hey!” Donghyuck appears from the wall again, this time showing his upper half body, hands at his waist. “Jeno likes this house, I’ll tell you that.”

“Oh, Donghyuck,” Jeno facepalms.

Mark is shrieking, hiding himself behind his much tinier boyfriend, who’s looking at Donghyuck, eyes sparkling with fascination. Jeno could do nothing but sigh, a headache suddenly attacking him from this mess of a situation. Well, there’s no turning back now.

“Mark, Renjun. Meet Donghyuck, this apartment’s ghost,” Jeno gestures towards the ghost boy, now floating right beside Jeno. “He’s harmless, don’t worry. He’s just a kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Woah,” Renjun suddenly says, mouth still agape. “That’s so cool.”

Donghyuck laughs awkwardly. “Thanks?”

“This is so not right,” Mark interjects, looking so appalled at the fact that his boyfriend is having a conversation with a ghost right in front of his face. “I can’t do this. I’m going to sleep.”

Mark tugs on Renjun’s arm, but the younger doesn’t budge. “You go on and sleep, hyung.”

“You’re ditching me for a ghost? Am I hearing this right?”

“Oh, come on. Just go to sleep, I need to talk to Donghyuck here for a bit,” Renjun pushes him towards the bed, making Mark trip on the mattress and fall face first in bed. He seems to have accepted his fate, not caring to even move from his uncomfortable position, half of his body hanging off of the bed.

“Uh, Jun, maybe tomorrow morning? I’m pretty sure Donghyuck is as tired as we all are,” Jeno tries to convince Renjun, but he only gets a confused stare from him.

“He can get tired?” Renjun shifts his gaze towards Donghyuck. “You can get tired?”

“Technically, I don’t feel—“

“He can. Yes, he can get tired. Come now, let’s all go to sleep, and discuss about this some other time,” Jeno swings an arm around Donghyuck, grinning to himself when his arm doesn’t go through the ghost boy’s body. Renjun makes a noise of complaint, but Jeno switches off the light and announces that it was time to sleep and wishes everyone a good night in a weirdly loud voice.

It took a while to explain to the duo—especially Mark, he’s still not over the fact that ghosts even exist in the first place—about Donghyuck. Renjun had been very accepting of Donghyuck, eyes sparkling every time he talks to the ghost boy. 

Jeno is glad they’re going along well, but he’s a bit upset that Donghyuck has been paying more attention to Renjun than him. Like now, when Donghyuck is on Jeno’s phone, talking to Renjun about the pranks he has pulled off throughout his years as a ghost.

“I can’t tell if my mental health was okay with how much I enjoyed watching the terrified looks on their faces,” Donghyuck says, and Renjun laughs from the other side of the line. 

Jeno is sitting on his chair, spinning a few times before his eyes land on Donghyuck, sprawled across his bed. His assignment is only halfway done, but the ghost boy looks so comfortable and he kind of wishes he can be as comfortable too. 

“Hey, Jun, I think I have to go. Jeno is staring at me like he’s gonna kill me,” Donghyuck says, raising his upper body to look into Jeno’s eyes.

“He’s just a kid, Jeno.”

“I’m not staring at him, I’m staring at what’s behind him,” Jeno stretched his limbs, a yawn escaping his lips. 

“My butt?” Donghyuck gives him an amused smile. 

“No. I meant, the space behind you. Where I can stop doing this work and finally join you in bed.”

“Again, Jeno, he’s 17,” Renjun mocks, making Donghyuck giggle. “Okay, I gotta go too. Mark hyung is picking me up.”

“Tell him Donghyuck is very much real!” Donghyuck says, exchanging excited ‘bye’s with Renjun before ending the call. “So, back to my butt.”

“I literally did not say anything about your butt, Donghyuck,” Jeno sighs, taking off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes. 

“You look exhausted,” Donghyuck floats closer to the end of the bed, cupping his head with his arms and looking up at Jeno.

“I am. But this essay is not about to write itself, magically. Unless you go invisible and start typing for me,” Jeno suggests.

“I never graduated high school, so nope,” Donghyuck rolls on his back, his head hanging from the edge of the bed. “Should I be nice and make you a cup of coffee? Don’t exactly need a degree for that, neither do I need to be human.”

“Yes, please. I’m gonna close my eyes for a second,” Jeno drops his head onto the table with a thud. “Just throw a pillow at my head when you’re done.”

“Or, you can take a break and let me use your laptop to watch Kissing Booth 2,” Donghyuck moves to lay in the middle of the bed, pulling on the comforter to his chest. Jeno discovered that Donghyuck really loves watching movies and series, after spending three years just floating around as a ghost.

(“I never got to watch anything other than the shows your next door neighbour’s son watches for three years.”

“Jaemin?”

“Yeah. And all he watches are gameplays or Tasty videos.”)

“Donghyuck, I can’t—“

“Just take a nap. I know that essay is due in a week,” Donghyuck says. “Come on, old guy.”

Jeno thinks for a second, but decides that a nap wouldn’t hurt anyone. He pushes himself away from the table, abandoning his chair. He minimises the tabs opened, just so he can come back to them without wondering which website he was reading from.

“Do you need the light? It’s too bright for me to sleep,” Jeno asks, hand already reaching to turn it off. When Donghyuck gives him a hum of approval, he turns it off and the lack of light due to Jeno’s opaque curtains puts him at ease.

“How long do you wanna nap?” Donghyuck drags the laptop into his lap, typing away to open Jeno’s Netflix.

“An hour is okay,” Jeno makes himself comfortable, hugging the bolster to his body.

“Okay,” Donghyuck says, and Jeno doesn’t know when exactly he fell asleep, the soundtrack of the movie playing softly in the background.

“-no. Jen, wake up.”

Jeno groans, pushing at the hand tapping at his cheek. “What time is it?”

“A little past 8,” Donghyuck says nonchalantly, making Jeno sit up, eyes widening.

“8? Hyuck, I said wake me up in an hour. It’s literally been 3 hours,” Jeno scrambles out of bed, but he feels Donghyuck’s hand pulling on his sleeve.

“I know how tired you are. You’ve been going on multiple stress-induced midnight runs that have you coming back home at like 3. You can’t push yourself so hard, Jen,” Donghyuck says, voice laced with heavy concern. “Just rest up, for one night. I took out yesterday’s leftover, just eat that for dinner.”

Jeno doesn’t know how to feel that a dead person is telling him how to stay alive, but he knows Donghyuck’s right. Lips pursed, he sits back on the bed and lays back down, moving closer to Donghyuck’s side. “Hey, can you help me with something?”

Donghyuck hums, taking his eyes off of whatever he was watching on the laptop. 

“Can you help me get my food? My body won’t listen to me.”

“I said rest, not be lazy,” Donghyuck frowns at him, but proceeds to float away from the bed. He pours the noodle into a bowl, tossing it into the microwave. “Also, I went through your essay. I don’t really understand much of it, but I think it’s nice.”

“Thanks, Hyuck,” Jeno smiles at him, unlocking his phone to go through his notifications. He sees an e-mail from a classmate, probably her part of their group project along with a picture of his three cats that his mother had sent in the family group chat.

Jeno’s heart squeezes at the sudden sense of longing. He stares at the picture of his mother on the couch, with their cats sitting all around her as she reads a book. He misses home.

“Here you go.”

Jeno looks up from his phone, the bowl of noodles right in front of his face along with a pair of chopsticks. Donghyuck peers at Jeno’s phone, cooing at the picture of the felines that Jeno has been staring at for a few moments.

“I’m more of a dog person, but they’re so adorable,” Donghyuck floats back onto the bed, taking his place at Jeno’s side. He pulls the laptop back into his lap, turning to face Jeno. “Do you wanna continue watching Umbrella Academy? I almost watched it while you were sleeping but I wanted to watch it together.”

Jeno nods through a mouthful of noodles, shifting so there’s space to put the laptop in between them. “You know, you’re really starting to become like a roommate.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Truthfully, Jeno has no idea. Aside from the fact that Donghyuck is a ghost and he doesn’t need any necessities that a human being would need, the only cons of living with Donghyuck is he sings very loudly. Sure, Jeno quite enjoy his soft singing voice, but only when it’s not making him read the same line a paragraph five times.

But Donghyuck as he is, is wonderful to live with. He helps Jeno pick up stray laundry to put in the laundry basket, he passes Jeno his towel when he forgets to bring it into the shower, and he even heats up Jeno’s leftover, just like the one he’s shoving into his mouth right now. 

Maybe it’s a good thing.

“Yeah, maybe,” Jeno says, and he realises that he had just said that out loud without anything prompting him to.

“Maybe, what?” Donghyuck turns to him, confused.

“Maybe it’s a good thing, I don’t really know.”

“Hmm,” Donghyuck tilts his head, and Jeno can’t help the little voice telling him how endearing he looks. He’s an underaged ghost, Jeno. Keep it together. “Do you hate me?”

“What? No,” Jeno places the bowl onto his bedside table. “Why would I hate you? You’re a really cool ghost.”

“That’s not a normal thing to say, you know. The fact that I’m a ghost is so unusual for others, and you’re here hanging out with one,” Donghyuck tries to act nonchalant, but he can see the fall of his face when he mentions the word ‘ghost’.

“Hey, I don’t care who you are. If you’re nice to me, then I’m cool with you. I don’t discriminate.”

“I know. That’s what I like about you.”

Jeno doesn’t know how to explain his feelings when he heard Donghyuck. “You like me?”

Donghyuck snickers. “Yeah, I like you.”

Perhaps this feeling is what people describe as butterflies in their stomach, because Jeno feels like there’s a whole garden with butterflies fluttering around, daffodils swaying with the wind, the elegant chirping of the bird and children chasing each other as their giggles fill the air.

“You’re like my friend now. Heck, I’d call you my best fr—no, my best bro.”

Suddenly, the garden dims. The butterflies are gone, the daffodils are no longer dancing in its vibrant yellow glory, the birds are hiding in their nests and the children are nowhere to be seen.

He knows he shouldn’t have hoped for anything in the first place. First of all, Donghyuck’s not human. Jeno doesn’t have the proper knowledge to even attempt to figure out what he is. He’s still too much of a coward to even go near the topic of Donghyuck’s death. Too many problems, too many red signs spelling out NO in bold letters.

Yet, he somehow still developed feelings for the ghost boy.

“Best bro, huh?" Jeno turns to look at the boy beside him, feeling like the noodles he just consumed are about to come back up.

"I mean, yeah. Ghost boy and a stressed college student, what a combination," Donghyuck points at himself and at Jeno, chuckling.

Jeno's laugh is dry, hiding the little imaginary crack in his heart. Lips pursed, he turns his attention to the screen of the laptop.

"Come closer, I wanna cuddle," Donghyuck whines, making grabby hands at Jeno.

On a usual day, Jeno would scoot closer and open his arms to the vague feeling of touching Donghyuck, the cool sensation of something that's there, but at the same time not. On a usual day, the vague feeling is a comfort to Jeno, the touch providing a warmth deep inside him. On a usual day, he would gladly welcome Donghyuck into his arms.

But right now, Jeno feels the need to put as much distance between them as he could in the situation, feeling like any little touch from Donghyuck is going to burn him, leaving imprints on his pale skin.

"Maybe later? I'm a bit warm."

"Loser," Donghyuck pouts, but reaches for a pillow to hug instead.

Jeno bites on his bottom lip, having a full on debate with himself in his head before sighing. "Okay, fine. Come here."

Donghyuck cheers, shifting the laptop to their feet before almost jumping into Jeno's arms. Jeno leans against the headboard, letting Donghyuck rest his head against Jeno's chest. The boy immediately pulls on Jeno's arms, wrapping them around himself and playing with his hand. Donghyuck hums contently, unaware of the erratic beating of Jeno's heart and the emotions washing over him as he lets the boy intertwine their fingers.

**Author's Note:**

> i made the ending vague bcs i feel like continuing this book as a series but idk when i can come back to this bcs,, exams,,, i hope u enjoyed it!! <33


End file.
